European Football Championship - Andrich not a fan of new communication rule
Robert Andrich is an impulsive footballer. A certain aggressiveness belongs to his play. Not surprisingly, the German champion of Bayer Leverkusen finds the new communication rule with the EM referees not optimal. A possible takeover in the Bundesliga? "Greet them? Probably not I", said the 29-year-old before the EM round of 16 football national team match against Denmark on Saturday (21.00 hours/ZDF/Magenta TV) in Dortmund.
The UEFA has adopted an option of the international referee body Ifab for the EM, according to which only captains are allowed to speak to referees in contentious situations. A yellow card is given immediately for misconduct.
Andrich sees a good implementation in the German team. So far, no player has been warned for unnecessary complaining. "We heard about it at the beginning of the tournament during the referee briefing, we were a little confused at first as to how it could really be a problem", reported the defensive midfielder.
We will adhere to the new code as best as possible against Denmark. "I believe we have done it well so far. We will continue to do so, not thinking much about it, but just continuing to play our game", said Andrich, who received a yellow card in the EM opening match - of course, classically for a foul play.
Andrich's aggressiveness in soccer has been noted by many, especially during his time with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The DFB has implemented a new communication rule for the European Football Championship (EM), limiting speaking to referees to only captains, with immediate yellow cards given for misconduct. Despite this rule, Andrich believes the German national team has adhered to it well so far, and he himself has been cautioned once in the tournament. The national soccer team will continue to follow this rule during their round of 16 match against Denmark in Dortmund. The adoption of this rule by the UEFA has been a topic of discussion among European teams, including Denmark, who will be facing the aggressive Andrich.
